One-Shot: Can I Call You Dad?
by LawrenceDaddarioWatsonStewart
Summary: Post-AYITL. The moment when Rory finally works up the nerve to ask Luke if she can call him her father. Enjoy!


**One-Shot: Can I Call You Dad?**

Only a few times in her childhood had Rory Gilmore ever been up in the loft above Luke's Diner. It had a woodsy, cabin like feel to it, and had been a comforting place for privacy that even the Diner at its most dead hours could not provide. Her future stepfather had been frugal in his tastes, living here alone, with only interruptions by his nephew Jess, and his daughter April.

Rory could never have imagined that she would be living up here herself.

After telling her mother that she was pregnant, Rory had decided to make a huge life change. Get her life back in order. She still had her job at the _Gazette_ , and was actually expanding its reach (that had been the bargaining chip that allowed Taylor to finally relent to her getting paid). Working on the book up here at nights, and sending scripts of what she had to Jess, who took copious notes in the margins and suggested edits. The favor had started as unofficial at first, but Rory had soon started paying him for his helpful services. Jess had tried to talk her out of it, saying they were now family and as such, monetary IOUs should be rendered completely moot. But Rory had won out in the end.

It wasn't a bad life. The loft was now Rory's version of the potting shed she had lived in when she was a little girl. And it was complete with a new little baby.

Lorelai Emily Gilmore had been born in the sweltering summer of 2017 - her arrival a flash of joy across the dark and humid storm clouds of Neo-Nazis asserting disturbing power and NFL players taking knees at football games. And a President ranting like a half-retarded child on Twitter. At least becoming a mother had allowed Rory to distract herself from whatever-in-God's-name happened to be going on.

And help her forget the fact that her child's father was halfway across the world, hiding away like a fugitive on the run. But Logan's hands were tied. He was married now to an heiress, and through coded texts and signals promised to sneak away to Connecticut when and where he could to see the other secret family he had helped create.

So much pain... so much heartbreak... especially for herself. And yet, as Rory rocked in the rocking chair and nursed her little girl, she marveled at how this small creature could bring her so much beauty, even when Rory did not deserve it.

 _"Till the moment I found you, I thought I knew what love was. Now I'm learning what is true - that love will do what it does. The world finds ways to sting you, and then one day, decides to bring you something to believe in... for even a night. One night may be forever, but that's all right. That's all right... What was ours still will be. I have something to believe in, now that I know you believe in me..."_ she sang softly to her baby girl.

She stared out the window. A lone car passed by. 5:30 in the morning. Not a soul in sight. The street lamps were still on, glistening against the rain-washed pavement. At this point, the streets could only belong to the town cops and maybe a janitor or two.

So Rory did not expect to hear a knock at the door of the loft.

"Who's there?" she called out tentatively. Only her parents had a key to the place, besides her. And the front door downstairs was the only way in. Still... Stars Hollow could be idyllic, but a petty crime or two had happened there in the past.

"It's me, princess. Coming to open up."

Rory deflated with relief and let her stepfather in. She returned to the rocking chair and continued to rock Little Lorelai. The baby Ooofed in her sleep and rolled over, reaching blindly against her mother's nightgown, perhaps instinctively searching to latch on. Luke leaned against the far wall, his smile tender but perhaps more weary with age. "You're supposed to be in bed," he observed.

Rory smiled at him - beamed, really. Ever since Little Loreai was born, she had not been able to stop smiling. Some in the town said she was still glowing. Lane had even demanded of her once, "How can you possibly still look like a goddamn Disney Princess when you gave birth only weeks ago?"

"This little lady is not making it easy. Wait until you and Mom have one - you'll find out!"

Luke didn't meet her gaze for some reason. He just shrugged and grunted, "Yeah."

Rory sensed something was wrong. "Luke?"

"We tabled the surrogacy option," he opened up surprisingly quickly. "And... we've been... trying... naturally..." He flushed. "I shouldn't be telling you this..."

"No, go on!" Rory begged. "You've been married ten months! I'm a big girl." She smirked. "I know all too well how babies are made, Luke..."

"Unfortunately... yes..." Luke growled. "Not that I don't love being a grandpa, but, well..."

Rory playfully tried to imitate his frown and even threw her voice to sound like him. "So serious! You strong diner man, you..."

Luke picked up where he had left off. "It's just... naturally, it hasn't worked. There's been... nothing. I told your mom once I thought it might be too late. Now I'm wondering if I was right..." He sat down heavily in a folding chair opposite Rory and ran his fingers through his hair, shifting the backwards baseball cap nearly off his head. "Why did I put the kibosh on the surrogacy idea?"

"I'll talk to Paris again for you guys; she would do it in a second..." Rory began.

"We still need to think about it," Luke said. "But... I didn't think I wanted kids. I figured, hey, I already have them. April... Jess, in a way..." He dared to meet her eyes. "You..."

Rory bit back a smile and glanced away.

"But... I want children with your mom. I don't know when I realized it, or when I changed my mind, but I do! Just... the window might be closed. Maybe I should count my blessings that I have three already running around..."

Rory tried not to choke up. She felt touched that Luke included Jess and her in his little fold. And it made her think about the point she had reached in her book, where she was talking about Luke as a sort of father figure. There was a whole chapter devoted to it, to contrast sharply with the failings of her biological father, Christopher.

"Luke..." she broached gently. "I'm... plugging away on my book, and... I'm writing about you."

Luke glanced up at her. "Oh, boy..."

Rory giggled. "All good things. I'm talking about how... even though you and Mom had ups and downs over the years, you were always there for me. You beat up my first boyfriend, watched Jess like a hawk, nearly killed Logan, got me better from the chicken pox, moved my college stuff... And you taught me what safe... feels like. And love with no conditions. So, I..." She finally managed to hold his gaze. "I was wondering... if the baby is going to call you Grandpa... would it be OK if I... called you Dad?"

Luke stared at her. He seemed speechless.

"Would it be...?" Rory tried again.

"Yes," Luke whispered.

"Well, you can take a minute to..."

"Yes."

"... at least think about it..."

"No." Luke shook his head simply. "I've practically adopted you anyway, just minus the forms."

Rory's eyes filled with tears. "I thought I was done with these blasted hormones!"

Luke laughed and both he and Rory stood up and hugged. "Find a book on it, and read up. But no one's gonna blame you for crying."

Luke now headed for downstairs to open the Diner. "I'll try to keep quiet in the kitchen. Get the baby to sleep. Love you, princess."

Rory beamed. "Love you too... Dad."


End file.
